Ice dispensing machine

ABSTRACT

An ice dispensing machine having an insulating casing with a platform adjacent the bottom for supporting a mass of flaked ice with a rotatable impeller mounted adjacent the bottom of the mass of ice to shave the ice therefrom and direct such ice to a vertically extending conveyor for carrying the ice upwardly to a discharge spout with a receptacle actuated lever for starting the operation of the impeller and conveyor.

United States Patent inventor Howard A. Garber 1010 First Ave, Richmond,Va. 23229 Appl No 816,316 Filed Mar. 15, 1969 Patented May 25, 1971 [CEDISPENSING MACHINE 10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 222/241,

222/236, 222/254, 222/318, 222/410 Int. Cl B67d 5/52,

Golf 1 1/ 10 Field of Search 222/241,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,387,750 6/1968 Stencil222/410 Primary Examiner-David M. Bockenek Attorney-Munson H. LaneABSTRACT: An ice dispensing machine having an insulating casing with aplatform adjacent the bottom for supporting a mass of flaked ice with arotatable impeller mounted adjacent the bottom of the mass of ice toshave the ice therefrom and direct such ice to a vertically extendingconveyor for carrying the ice upwardly to a discharge spout with areceptacle actuated lever for starting the operation of the impeller andconveyor.

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INVENTOR. Howard A.Gorber BY SHEET 3 BF 3 PATENTED W25 IBYI IBA ICEDISPENSING MACHINE The present application relates to the subject matterof my prior application Ser. No. 688,060, filed Dec. 5, 1967, now U.S.Pat. No. 3,463,362 granted Aug. 26, 1969.

This application relates to dispensing and more particularly todispensing particulate material such as flake ice or granulated ice.

Heretofore, various types of equipment have been provided for dispensingparticulate material and for dispensing ice, but the structures have notbeen entirely satisfactory because of the complicated mechanism involvedand the difficulty in maintaining the equipment in operative condition.

An object of the invention is to provide an ice dispensing machine whichwill overcome the objections of the prior art and provide satisfactorydispensing over long periods of time.

Another object is to provide an ice dispenser with agitating means toassure that the ice will be broken from the mass of ice and conveyed tothe place of dispensing.

A further object is to provide a dispensing machine with means tooperate it by contact with the receptacle for receiving the dispensedmaterial.

Other and further objects will be apparent as the description proceedsand upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective of one form of the ice machine showing thedischarge spout and the receptacle engaging lever operated microswitch;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on plane 2-2 of FIG.1 showing the impeller for loosening the ice from the bottom of the massand the screw conveyor for raising the ice to the discharge spout andshowing the drive mechanism therefor;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the drive mechanism for the screwconveyor and the ice loosening impeller;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another form of drive mechanism showing theimpeller vanes;

FIG. 5 is an electrical wiring diagram showing the operation;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section of another form of the invention having aconvex platform and cooperating impeller with the screw conveyor at oneside;

FIG. 7 is a section taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6 showing the position ofthe stationary deflector.

FIG 8 is an enlarged detail taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

Briefly the invention in dispensing machines includes a casing having aplatform for supporting the particulate material and an impellerrotatably mounted thereover for agitating the bottom of the mass ofmaterial and directing such material into a vertically extendingconveyor which in one modification is centrally positioned with respectto the impeller and in another modification is positioned laterallythereof and in each form .a receptacle actuated switch is positionedadjacent the discharge spout on the screw conveyor for causingdispensing of the ice while the receptacle is in proper position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the dispensing machine 2includes an insulated casing providing a chamber 3 for storing icepassing into the chamber through a suitable chute 4 which directs theice into the container and such ice is supported on a conical platform 5of concave shape which is suitably fixed to the casing above a drivingmechanism supporting frame 6 of generally U-shape which rotatablysupports a plurality of shafts including a drive shaft 7 driven by amotor 8 supported in the upper portion of the chamber 3 and which drivesa sprocket 9 which drives a chain 10 which engages an idler sprocket l1fixed to a shaft 12 and the chain 10 also drives a sprocket 13 carriedby the screw conveyor shaft 14.

An impeller 15 is rotatably supported on screw conveyor shaft 14 and isdriven by a sprocket 16 which is driven from a small sprocket 17 on theidler shaft 12 by means of a chain 17A so the impeller 15 is rotated ata very slow rate of speed compared to the rotation speed of the screwconveyor I4.

The impeller 15 has a pair of diverging blades carrying vanes 18 whichare arranged in the manner shown in FIG. 7 with respect to impeller 15A.

The screw conveyor 14 is mounted in a tube 19 which is supported fromthe top wall of the casing and from the motor support 20 and at theupper end of such screw conveyor is a bearing 21 which carries adeflector 22 which remains fixed with respect to the tube 19 and thebearing 21, the screw blade terminating just below the deflector plate22 and the deflector plate 22 having a reverse screw blade 23 fixed withrespect to the tube 19 and the bearing 21 so that ice will be directeddownwardly from the bearing and outwardly against the stationarydeflector and thence dispensed through the spout 24. A lever 25 pivotedat its upper end adjacent the nozzle cooperates with a microswitch 26 tooperate the motor 8.

From the above-description it will be evident that ice deposited in thereceptacle through the opening 4 will be supported on the platform 5 andthe mass of such ice will be prevented from rotation with the impellersby a stabilizer plate 27 fixed to the side of the casing 2 and theimpeller will cause the ice to move inwardly into the opening 28 in thetubular plate 29 fixed to the impeller 15 and the ice so collected inthe feed sleeve 29 will be fed upwardly by the screw conveyor 14 andpassed through the discharge nozzle due to the action of deflector 22and reverse screw element 23.

In FIG. 4 the motor shaft 7 which operates the sprockets and shafts asshown in FIG. 3 drives the impeller shown in plan in FIG. 4.

In the modification shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 inclusive the drive fromthe motor driven shaft 7 may drive the impeller ISA through a sprocket31 and drive the conveyor screw 14A by means of its sprocket 13, thedrive being accomplished by suitably chains.

In this modification a convex platform 32 of conical shape is mountedover the drive mechanism housing and the impeller shaft 33 driven by thesprocket 31 is suitably mounted in bearings and carries the impellerblade 15A which has the vanes 18A thereon, it being apparent that theimpeller blades extend outwardly and downwardly generally parallel withthe corresponding surface of the platform 32 and direct the ice removedfrom the bottom of the mass to an opening 34 in the conveyor tube 19Aand thereby the ice is moved upwardly by the conveyor screw 14A to thedischarge nozzle 24.

It will be noted that a stabilizer plate 27A prevents the mass of icefrom rotating in the modification of FIGS. 6 and 7. A dischargedeflector plate 35 is mounted on the tube 19A adjacent the dischargeopening to the spout 24 and above such discharge plate a screw element35A is fixed to the screw shaft 14A to direct any ice moving above thespout downwardly into the discharge opening and into the spout and intothe receptacle therebelow.

In each modification a cylindrical ice retaining wall is provided aroundthe periphery of the platforms 5 and 32 as shown at 36, a suitableopening being provided for the entrance of the ice and also for thepassage of the ice into opening 34 in the tube 19A.

From the above-description the operation is believed to be apparentsince the closing of microswitch 26 causes the motor 8 to operatemomentarily and then delay the operation for a limited period of time bya control unit 37 and after the short period of delay any furtheroperation by the receptacle engaging plate 25 including the microswitch26 causes the motor to operate and causes ice to be dispensed from thedischarge spout. The invention is therefore suitable for use inself-service cafeterias or any other location where the ice is to bedispensed in accordance with the presence of a receptacle such as a cupor glass placed against the plate lever 25.

From the above-description it will be apparent that changes may be madewithin the spirit of the invention as definedby the valid scope of theclaims.

Iclaim:

,l. A dispensing machine comprising an upright cylindrical housinghaving a conical material receiving platform adjacent the bottom of saidhousing, means at the upper portion of said housing for supplyingmaterial to said conical platform, an impeller rotatably mounted in saidhousing above and adjacent to said platform for contact with the lowerportion of the mass of material therein, means to drive the impeller toloosen material from the bottom of the mass thereof, a screw conveyorextending upwardly above said housing and including a conveyor tubefixed in said housing and extending from adjacent the impeller, saidconveyor tube having an entrance opening for material loosened by saidimpeller, a screw conveyor element in said tube, means to rotate saidscrew element, said conveyor tube having a discharge opening adjacentthe upper end thereof, and means to cause the material to pass into thescrew conveyor and outwardly from the material to pass into the screwconveyor and outwardly from the discharge opening said impellercomprising a pair of oppositely inclined blades mounted above saidconical platform and sloped to conform thereto and serving to directmaterial received from said upper material supply means to the entranceopening of said conveyor tube.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which the impeller and thescrew conveyor are mounted on coincident vertical axes.

3. The invention according to claim 1 in which a motor drives theimpeller and the screw conveyor element and a switch operating member ismounted adjacent the discharge opening to control the operation of themotor.

4. The invention according to claim 1 in which the screw element of thescrew conveyor terminates adjacent the discharge opening in the conveyortube and a deflector plate is mounted in the tube for engaging thematerial through the discharge opening.

5. The invention according to claim 4 in which a section ofa reverselypitched conveyor element is fixed to the shaft of the conveyor elementabove the deflector plate to assist in the discharge of the material.

6. The invention according to claim 4 in which a reversely pitched screwsection is fixed to the conveyor tube upwardly of the deflector plate.

7. The invention according to claim 4 in which a screw element is fixedto said conveyor tube adjacent said deflector plate.

8. The invention according to claim I in which the screw conveyorelement and the impeller are mounted for rotation on a coincidentvertical axis and the supporting platform flares upwardly and outwardlyand the arms of the impeller extend outwardly and upwardly.

9. The invention according to claim 1 in which the screw conveyor andimpeller are mounted for rotation on parallel vertical axes and theimpeller and platform extend outwardly and downwardly from the centerthereof and the conveyor tube is mounted adjacent the periphery of theplatform.

10. The invention according to claim 1 in which the axes of rotation ofthe impeller and of the screw conveyor are vertical and a cylindricalcasing is provided extending upwardly from the platform for the icematerial and a stabilizer blade extends radially inwardly from thehousing to engage the ice material and prevent rotation thereof.

1. A dispensing machine comprising an upright cylindrical housing havinga conical material receiving platform adjacent the bottom of saidhousing, means at the upper portion of said housing for supplyingmaterial to said conical platform, an impeller rotatably mounted in saidhousing above and adjacent to said platform for contact with the lowerportion of the mass of material therein, means to drive the impeller toloosen material from the bottom of the mass thereof, a screw conveyorextending upwardly above said housing and including a conveyor tubefixed in said housing and extending from adjacent the impeller, saidconveyor tube having an entrance opening for material loosened by saidimpeller, a screw conveyor element in said tube, means to rotate saidscrew element, said conveyor tube having a discharge opening adjacentthe upper end thereof, and means to cause the material to pass into thescrew conveyor and outwardly from the material to pass into the screwconveyor and outwardly from the discharge opening said impellercomprising a pair of oppositely inclined blades mounted above saidconical platform and sloped to conform thereto and serving to directmaterial received from said upper material supply means to the entranceopening of said conveyor tube.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 inwhich the impeller and the screw conveyor are mounted on coincidentvertical axes.
 3. The invention according to claim 1 in which a motordrives the impeller and the screw conveyor element and a switchoperating member is mounted adjacent the discharge opening to controlthe operation of the motor.
 4. The invention according to claim 1 inwhich the screw element of the screw conveyor terminates adjacent thedischarge opening in the conveyor tube and a deflector plate is mountedin the tube for engaging the material through the discharge opening. 5.The invention according to claim 4 in which a section of a reverselypitched conveyor element is fixed to the shaft of the conveyor elementabove the deflector plate to assist in the discharge of the material. 6.The invention according to claim 4 in which a reversely pitched screwsection is fixed to the conveyor tube upwardly of the deflector plate.7. The invention according to claim 4 in which a screw element is fixedto said conveyor tube adjacent said deflector plate.
 8. The inventionaccording to claim 1 in which the screw conveyor element and theimpeller are mounted for rotation on a coincident vertical axis and thesupporting platform flares upwardly and outwardly and the arms of theimpeller extend outwardly and upwardly.
 9. The invention according toclaim 1 in which the screw conveyor and impeller are mounted forrotation on parallel vertical axes and the impeller and platform extendoutwardly and downwardly from the center thereof and the conveyor tubeis mounted adjacent the periphery of the platform.
 10. The inventionaccording to claim 1 in which the axes of rotation of the impeller andof the screw conveyor are vertical and a cylindrical casing is providedextending upwardly from the platform for the ice material and astabilizer blade extends radially inwardly from the housing to engagethe ice material and prevent rotation thereof.